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Standard pica type is also necessary for most thesis and dissertation work. However, certain universities (Brigham Young in Utah, for one) now find that the increased numbers of such documents, and the space needed to store them, are making the smaller "elite" type increasingly desirable. If you do use elite type, adjust your fees accordingly to compensate for the additional words per page.

Ms. Williams' article in MOTHER NO. 25 also mentions the need for a "five-line ratchet" and when I threw that term at my business machine serviceman, he just looked blank. Gail is right, though: There is such a thing, and it's a necessity for legal and scholarly work. What the gadget does is enable you to half-space for the placement of such figures as degree marks and coefficients. My machine like many others came equipped with this extra, but if your lacks the capability it's an easy modification to make.

Another special feature you'll need for thesis typing is square brackets but if your typewriter doesn't have such characters, most schools will accept the marks when they're carefully hand drawn in black India ink. The same goes for certain mathematical symbols, such as the square root sign.

The only dictating machine I've encountered and it seems pretty universal is the Stenorette. Although an older, used unit can be purchased for anywhere from $25.00 to $150, I preferred to buy a new one (which is the only model with a variable speed control). This slows the rate of playback and is more than worth the additional investment every time you run into a client with an unfamiliar accent, lousy speaking technique, or poor manners. A couple of persons I've typed for, for instance, do their dictating during lunch or dinner and a phrase like "multiple abrasions, lacerations, and contusions" comes across badly at best when mixed with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. If you can't slow the playback speed, such material is hopeless to transcribe.

WORK AREA

I started out working on two TV trays and the arm of the couch, and I have just one word for that routine: DON'T! Find yourself a quiet, out-of-the-way corner, establish it as yours, and guard it fiercely. Typewriters are sturdy pieces of equipment, but constantly moving one from place to place is bound to cause problems.

I spent $100 on a sort of stand up bookcase (new) with a foldout table for my typewriter and two shelves behind closable doors that keep stationery both out of sight and clean. Various small organizers-which you can make by, for instance, inserting dividers into boxes-will add to the neatness of your work space. Use them for convenient storage of a good supply of typewriter ribbons, erasers, paper clips, rubberbands, manila folders, Type cleaner, etc. And don't let tax forms, important papers, bills, coffee cups, catalogs, and the like clutter your typing area!

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